LF advice and a Samsung deal?

Hello Sc'ers! It's been a very long time since I've been here. I hope everyone is well.

I'm in need of some advice for a phone. It's a little long....(sorry)

I need a new phone. The phone I currently have (Samsung A5) no longer works with wifi. Everything else works; it's just the wifi broke and I found out the expensive way (an overage on my data on my mobile bill last month).

I don't make a lot of calls, I text a lot, and use minimal mobile data (maybe 1 gig tops?) because I'm usually using wi-fi and I do dumb crap like banking or checking the weather etc. I don't use social media like Snapchat or anything that sucks data up like youtube.

For the past 5 years I haven't been on contract because I've had 2 different unlocked refurbished phones that I slapped a SIM card in it and went about my merry little way. This is how I've kept my nice little deal. I pay mid 50's/a month for what I get. It meets my needs just fine.

I've gone to my current provider and worked with customer loyalty to get a deal with them; unfortunately, their "best" offer involves doubling the price I currently pay each month and gets me a bunch of crap I will never use. I've looked at the competitors as well and they offer similar packages. The human rep I spoke to in the store said she hasn't seen a phone plan like mine for YEARS and I'd be kind of crazy to let it go, especially because it meets my needs just fine and I don't want anything bigger/different than what I currently have.

I should also tell you that I'm not fancy. I don't need the latest camera or whatever the newest bell and whistle is. And I definitely don't need an i-phone. Hate em and would never switch. I like Samsung. They've been good to me. They are generally sturdy, although I have found the S series to be more sturdy than the current A series phone I have.

So...that leaves me the following options:

1. Pay $200 to replace the board in my current A5. But, that's dumping 200 bucks onto a phone that is already 2 years old and no guarantee that something else won't go on it after the wi fi issue is fixed. The repair guy told me quite honestly that he sees a lot of A5's needing repairs and they don't seem to be the sturdiest phone. They are a mid-range phone; not the higher end phone like the S galaxy series ones are.

2. Go buy a brand new different A series phone from Best Buy or where ever (they kind of are all the same price-- $450- 500) and pay for a warranty on it for the first year or two because I do tend to drop things. LOL. Warranties run about $20 month if you get the Best Buy one.

3. Go down and buy another refurbished unlocked phone as I've done in the past which is slightly cheaper than buying the new one but it IS refurbished and then stick my SIM card in and move on. This gets me a higher end phone (an S9) for 600 plus tax and an in store warranty as well that I can pay additional for.

Here's what I'm not sure about...

Back to school phone deals- is that a thing? Should I wait a couple weeks and see what deals are offered on phones as part of back-to-school shopping? (I've already gone 3 weeks with this stupid phone as it is and I'm getting accustomed to no data...lol...so I'm prepared to wait it out for a few more weeks but then something's gotta give.)

When do companies usually release new phones? I know you can get crazy good deals on phones when companies are preparing to release a newer version of something but I always feel like that means waiting until Christmas???? When are the best deals on phones?

What would you do?

I don't like asking for advice but I'm honestly torn about this one and seem incapable of making a decision. I've had 2 refurbished phones-- one was great and the other one not as great so I don't know if I'm wise to keep going the refurbished route. I could go on kijiji but there's no guarantee there either and I had a bad experience this spring buying a used phone from a colleague for my daughter that ended up lasting her 3 weeks....and then it was awkward because it was someone I worked with too.

Ok...GO! Give me your recommendations or your wisdom about phones and deals!!

:-)

Maybe check out rcss mobile, I was able to keep my plan with Roger's and got new Samsung phones s9 last year at $0 when everywhere else wanted $ on top of signing a new contract. The rcss mobile store in my town is offering $0 for s10. Last week there was PC optimum offer of 25,000 points for every $50 spent.

Sweet! I didn't realize RCSS even had a mobile shop. And who doesn't love PC points??? I will check it out for sure!

Costco also sells some unlocked Samsung phones off the shelf (not through their cell phone stand). Not sure how the prices or specs are but I saw them last week.

I'm totally on board with you on the not changing your plan. I rode the same plan with my provider for 8 years on a grandfathred plan that couldnt be beat.

I too was buying phones out-right to avoid changing my plan.

That said, I was also going to suggest Costco for off-the-peg phones (yes, not from the cell phone stand, as they're there to get you into a new plan with a provider and a high-end device)

I might be wrong, but I think I saw the A50* on the shelf at Costco for around $300-ish? (it's $399 if you buy it directly from Samsung.ca)
*(or was it the A20? That one is on Samsung.ca for $299)

In any event, those are both decent places. I've bought phones directly from Samsung before without any issues.

The A50 is a decent phone. Has a (nearly) edgeless screen... supports quick charging, has a fingerprint scanner, does facial recognition, tri-lens camera on the back, and supports Samsung Pay.


Also, if you buy a refurbished phone like an S7, S8, S9, keep in mind that the water-proof guarantee is null and void. Once a phone is refurbished, it loses its rating for being water proof.

Side note: be VERY wary if you're looking at Amazon. Many of the same models are International versions and have NO WARRANTY. Only if it's SOLD AND SHIPPED by Amazon should feel safe about ordering.

Thanks for the great advice. I didn't know that about the water proof guarantee being voided once it's refurb and I didn't know the stuff about Amazon either. I had looked at Costco awhile back but it was at the phone booth and they were looking to sell me a plan. I didn't realize they sold them off the peg. I will head in to my local store tomorrow for a second expedition!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bhlombardy

I'm totally on board with you on the not changing your plan. I rode the same plan with my provider for 8 years on a grandfathred plan that couldnt be beat.

I too was buying phones out-right to avoid changing my plan.

That said, I was also going to suggest Costco for off-the-peg phones (yes, not from the cell phone stand, as they're there to get you into a new plan with a provider and a high-end device)

I might be wrong, but I think I saw the A50* on the shelf at Costco for around $300-ish? (it's $399 if you buy it directly from Samsung.ca)
*(or was it the A20? That one is on Samsung.ca for $299)

In any event, those are both decent places. I've bought phones directly from Samsung before without any issues.

The A50 is a decent phone. Has a (nearly) edgeless screen... supports quick charging, has a fingerprint scanner, does facial recognition, tri-lens camera on the back, and supports Samsung Pay.


Also, if you buy a refurbished phone like an S7, S8, S9, keep in mind that the water-proof guarantee is null and void. Once a phone is refurbished, it loses its rating for being water proof.

Side note: be VERY wary if you're looking at Amazon. Many of the same models are International versions and have NO WARRANTY. Only if it's SOLD AND SHIPPED by Amazon should feel safe about ordering.

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#3 sounds up my alley. The thing is I wouldn't go for an S9 as that's pricey but ( this is risky) a cheap Chinese phone from Aliexperss / eBay. I'm currently using the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and despite it not having complete data coverage, it works great.